Inside the STR Empire Managing 700+ Vacation Homes with Michael Elefante

🎟️ STR AI SUMMIT 2.0 — Sept 29–30 | Freedom Factory 50 spots left. Two days building real AI tools WITH us — revenue manager, listing optimizer, bookkeeping + lead gen — installed in your business before you leave. 👉 Grab tickets: strsecrets.com/aisummit2 Michael Elefante didn't set out to build an empire. There was no whiteboard and no master plan, just one short term rental he bought in 2019 and a willingness to jump before he felt ready. Before real estate, Michael went from working at Dunkin' Donuts after college to climbing the corporate ladder at Google and in outside sales. The income was high, but the travel and the hours weren't the life he wanted for his future family. So he bought his first rental, hit financial freedom fast, and even spent a year traveling the country in a camper van with his wife Jill, running the business remotely the whole time. Today he's the President and Co-Founder of The RISE Collective, a vertically integrated ecosystem serving the short term rental industry. It spans BNB Investor Academy, BNB Turnkey & Construction, Home Team Luxury Rentals (a nationwide property management firm), Summerlet Designs, and in-house lending, CPA, legal, and referral divisions. A best-selling author and investor who has helped thousands of people optimize high performing properties, Michael scaled not by chasing shiny objects but by pulling referral services in-house, building a multi-million-dollar portfolio now aimed at a nine-figure exit. In this episode, Michael sits down with Mike Sjogren and Mike Reilly to break down how it actually happened, and the mindset that made it possible. Inside this episode: The "do it before you're ready" philosophy, and why confidence comes after the jump, not before The "who, not how" mentality: hiring strong operators so you can work limited hours and take Fridays off How to build experience-driven properties that price out your competition The simple migration-pattern strategy Michael uses to pick winning markets Why giving away his exact playbook has only made him more successful How vertical integration turned one business into an entire ecosystem, almost by accident Why he's moving into boutique hotels now, and who it's really for Saying no: how his goals shifted from cash flow to building real enterprise value Whether you're buying your first rental or scaling a portfolio, this is a masterclass in taking action, staying in your lane, and building a business that supports a family-first life instead of one that dictates it. Connect with Michael: @melefante6 on Instagram, or learn more at rise-collective.com/about-us/michael-elefante Podcast Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Intro: Traveling the World & Experience-Driven Rentals 00:05:37 How Michael Picks Winning Markets (Migration Strategy) 00:12:43 Building the RISE Collective & Vertical Integration 00:19:18 The Mindset Shift: Buy the Ticket 00:22:32 Scaling Home Team + Moving Into Boutique Hotels 00:31:00 Long-Term Vision & His #1 Secret to Success